Abstract
An employer-based work-experience program run by a multinational organization temporarily employs people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to prepare them for external employment. This study observes the impact of participation for people with ASD in establishing employment (with or without a competitive salary). A quasi-experimental design constructed a control group that can be considered similar to the group of participants in the employer-based program, except for supported-employment entitlement. Results indicate a 29% increase in post-five-year employment for participants than the control group, but no effect was found on employment with a competitive salary, only for the post-second year. Inclusivity enhances the careers of people with ASD, but their potential to establish employment with a competitive salary remains limited.
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Data Availability
Data supporting this study's findings are available at Statistics Netherlands on request (and on payment) and under license for this study only. Access to the Statistics Netherlands' microdata is only granted to scientific researchers under strict privacy-securing conditions (see https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/our-services/customised-services-microdata/microdata-conducting-your-own-research). After ethic approval, we analyzed the data through a remote-access facility that connects our computers to the protected ICT environment of Statistics Netherlands. Statistics Netherlands performs a check on the results to secure anonymity and privacy. Data belong to Statistics Netherlands, and for that reason, the data cannot be added to a (public) repository. Results must be published to ensure that there is no conflict of interest with third parties.
Notes
In 2009, a Test Engineer project was launched for young participants with ASD at Philips Healthcare, performing highly accurate software tests, including on-the-job training. The Cybersecurity learning trajectory started in 2015, where participants with ASD obtained a recognized diploma while gaining work experience across Philips’s departments.
Unfortunately, it was not registered what kind of training participants followed during their stay at Philips. However, all recognized courses are on the level of upper secondary education (ISCED2011-Level 3).
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Acknowledgments
The authors want to express their thanks to Prof. Dr. Peter van der Velden for his encouragement to write this article. The first author wants to thank supervisors Prof. Dr. Ruud Muffels and Prof. Dr. Ton Wilthagen for their support until the Ph.D. defense and Frank Visser of Royal Philips for allowing us to conduct this study on their participants.
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This research did not receive any specific grant from Royal Philips or any other funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.
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RP participated in the study design, curated and analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript; MB helped interpret the data and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Note: Royal Philips was aware that the outcomes of the present study must be published and agreed in advance to study their program, regardless of the effect(s) found, following the guidelines of Statistics Netherlands.
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Peijen, R., Bos, M.C.M. Brief Report: The Benefits of an Employer-Based Work-Experience Program for Participants with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 890–896 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04976-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04976-z